4 reasons why Arsenal are the Premier League's dark horses

Arsenal v Chelsea - International Champions Cup 2018
Arsenal players celebrate during their pre-season friendly win over London rivals Chelsea

#2 A solid backline, unlike previous years

Club Atletico de Madrid v Bayer Leverkusen - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: Second Leg
Leno in Champions League action against Atletico Madrid last season

On their books now, Arsenal have a young, talented and dynamic shot-stopper following Bernd Leno's switch from Bayer Leverkusen this summer. The Germany international had already made more than 200 appearances for the Bundesliga side and has matured immensely in recent seasons. At 6 foot 3 inches, he is aerially dominant, has very strong reflexes and will look to usurp the inconsistent Petr Cech as the Gunners' first-choice this term.

Sokratis Papastathopoulos adds maturity and bite to their backline, while he'll be a good mentor for youngsters Konstantinos Mavropanos and Rob Holding. Shkodran Mustafi's focus will also improve with another experienced figure alongside him in Laurent Koscielny's absence, while we can expect some consistent defensive displays from the German.

Stephan Lichsteiner will provide fierce competition for Hector Bellerín - although the left-back spot is a doubt as Nacho Monreal and Sead Kolasinac being injury-prone. However, this is the best back five the club have seen in recent seasons this term.

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